So i picked up a couple bags of Stove size coal and a bag of nut size. Today i tried to get a fire going and not really having any luck, I used some Cowboy charcoal got that going then added some of the nut around and on top of that. took forever just to get that going, once that was going i added the stove size coal. I can get it going but not getting much heat out of it and it seems to just burn in the middle and not work it's way out. I have the draft all the way open and have the ash pan pulled out a little also, I never had an issue with wood. At this point i'm allready thinking i'm going to end up having to burn oil . My insert is a slammer and has no stainless liner. any ideas?

Rob R. wrote:Sounds like your draft is poor...or you simply aren't adding enough coal. Did you cover the entire grate with coal so the air can't bypass the fire?

Rob:

I put the charcoal in the middle got it going then covered the whole grate and put some on top of the charcoal, Maybe that's what i'm doing wrong? After work going to try it again and use the Nut this time. How long should i let it going before i start loading the grate?

Get yourself some kindling and dry wood, get a nice wood fire going to warm the chimney. When it is burning really well, add a thin layer of coal, little more in 10 minute or so, and when the coal is burning bright, go ahead and fill most of the firebox with coal. Leave a little bit of the already burning coal exposed to help burn off the gasses.

I'm new at coal burning myself and have actually only burned two bags to date. It took me about 45 minutes to 1hr to get a good coal fire going. My method was to burn a decent amount of dried wood and kept that going for about 20 minutes or so. Once that was burning up nice and hot I would then add a little bit of coal on top of the hot fiery wood. I think I even added more slivers of wood to make sure I didn't lose anything. I slowly kept adding more coal and before I knew it I had the whole pot filled up.

This was my one and only attempt so I wanted to make sure it worked. I was definitely getting antsy but had to tell me self to just sit back and let the stove do its thing.

My suggestion is to get a nice wood fire going and let her burn. Once some of the wood starts breaking down into a hot coal bed add small pieces of wood and coal. Then just keep adding coal..... I had my draft open 100% and the ashpan door open too. I never left the stove for about 1hr....

Oh well, i give up. Did like you guys suggested , Got a nice hot wood fire going than added a little coal, Once that was going i added a little more. It seems like it never spreads out, It just burns in an area of like 7"x7". Not sure why the heck i can't get it going. now i have 6 bags of coal to lay around and a coal bin to tear down, Glad i tried it before i bought a bulk load. Guess i have to suck it up and burn oil this winter and see about putting in a pellet furnace for next year. really frustrating and disappointing, was hoping it would work.

Perhaps a fellow NEPA member who lives near you can swing by your house and lend you hand with getting you coal stove lit? Don't give up. Once you understand coal and how it behaves you will never want to go back to oil, gas or GASP.... WOOD!

PS Have you looked at some YOUTUBE vids of how to light a coal stove? Just a thought.........

Do you have a burn pot to fill up or is it an open grate type system that you just evenly spread coal out?

I wouldn't give up just yet... If it were me, I would dedicate some time and get that small 7"x7" area piping hot and keep it burning for as long as you can. I'm sure it would, at some point spread to the other areas of the stove. My first reaction would be that you have an airflow restriction below the coal bed. Almost like the only fresh air coming up from under the coals is restricted to that 7"x7" area. I had a similar problem because I wasn't shaking out the ash good enough and allowing fresh air to come up from below. I was choking out the stove with a nice bed of ash.

From what I've gathered here during my short stay is that air flow coming up from beneath the coal bed is most important (along with a lot of other things).

Do you think the stove is designed to restrict airflow to only the middle 7"x7" area of your coal/wood bed?

Just tried again 2 times, each time cleaning it out fully and starting over. Watched a video on youtube, used paper and wood. The coal will light but just doesn't take off like it should, The insert is i believe from 1980. maybe that's my problem, It was worth a shot to try. Once i get it cleaned out again i will try and take some pictures of it. Like i said before i can burn wood no problem, maybe i just don't have enough draft for coal. it doesn't have a pipe connected to it, It just goes from the box right up the flue which is 9"x13". I appreciate all the help from everybody, Going to have to order some oil for now so i have heat. i only have $50 invested in the coal and some other things so not that big of a deal, i will mess with it some more maybe this weekend.

Quickly read through your post. Are you only allowing air in BELOW the coal? Close the loading doors and over fire air controls after you've added the coal to the burning wood. Leave the ash door wide open while the coal takes off. Once the coal is burning well, close the ash door and use the UNDER FIRE air control to adjust the coal burn. DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE FOR ANY REASON WITH THE ASH DOOR OPEN,....EVER!!! Sit and stare at it until you close the ash door. Over firing will occur if you leave the ash door open too long after the fire is established. Good luck and keep at it! You'll get it eventually!